The mother of a New York City public school student sent me this piece by her 10-year-old son. Homework is NOT that necessary!! by Daniel Goldstein School work is enough. School is where you do all your learning. But home? Isn’t that the place you’re supposed to relax and have fun instead of doing 1Continue reading “From a Fifth Grader–Homework Is Not That Necessary”
Author Archives: Sara Bennett
Moms (and Dads) on a Mission–Indianapolis, Indiana: “I Refuse to Sign a Homework Pledge”
At the beginning of the school year, Kristi, the mother of a second grader in public school in Indianapolis, IN, refused to sign a “pledge” that she would do hours of homework with her child. Here’s what she did, why, and the outcome: I refuse to sign a homework pledge by Kristi In the firstContinue reading “Moms (and Dads) on a Mission–Indianapolis, Indiana: “I Refuse to Sign a Homework Pledge””
Guest Blogger: Green Hour–Taking Back Childhood One Kid at a Time
Today’s guest blogger, Bethe Almeras, is the Senior Manger for Family Programs for the National Wildlife Federation. She is the Campaign Manager for Green Hour®, which urges parents to give their kids a “Green Hour” every day, a time for unstructured play and interaction with the natural world. Green Hour: Taking Back Childhood One KidContinue reading “Guest Blogger: Green Hour–Taking Back Childhood One Kid at a Time”
Does Speeding Make Good Reading?
I would put this article on reading from Fresno Pacific University on all teachers “must-read” list: Does Speeding Make Good Reading? By Rene’ Mendel Lebsock Imagine parents watching their child take his or her first steps. It’s an exciting time! No one is concerned about the beginner’s slow, cautious pace, or the numerous tumbles asContinue reading “Does Speeding Make Good Reading?”
Boulder, Colorado Schools Reserve After School for Play, not Homework
Kerry Dickinson, the Danville, California mom who helped change homework policy in her school district last year, put me in touch with Debbie Cohune, a mother of four, who recently moved to Boulder, Colorado, from Danville. To Debbie’s delight, she discovered that her children’s new schools-elementary, middle, and high–have little to no homework. Here’s whatContinue reading “Boulder, Colorado Schools Reserve After School for Play, not Homework”
From My Mailbox: Miami First-Grade Teacher Hates Homework
Dear Sara, I teach first grade and give homework only for math and reading and occasionally science and social studies. I give it because the district says we have to. The kids have been there for 6 hours. Why do they need more work when they get home? When I get home I want toContinue reading “From My Mailbox: Miami First-Grade Teacher Hates Homework”
Frustration in Plumsted, New Jersey
You’d think that the thoughtful and lengthy letter Diane Hewlett-Lowrie sent to her son’s second-grade teacher would have warranted an equally thoughtful reply, or, at the very least, opened up an interesting conversation. Instead, Diane received nothing but a curt email reply. The teacher thanked her for expressing her concerns and told Diane that, accordingContinue reading “Frustration in Plumsted, New Jersey”
Moms (and Dads) on a Mission: More from Plumsted, New Jersey
In The Case Against Homework, there are dozens of sample letters to teachers and administrators which you can use as a jumping off point (or copy verbatim) for your own letter to your child’s teacher. Today, I am posting a very lengthy letter by Diane Hewlett-Lowrie, whose comments and letters I have posted before, hereContinue reading “Moms (and Dads) on a Mission: More from Plumsted, New Jersey”
First Monday
In The Case Against Homework, and every month in the first year of this blog, I suggested that parents send a note on the first Monday of every month to either a teacher or school administrator and express their frustrations. If parents took this simple action, the homework problem would become too big to ignoreContinue reading “First Monday”
Sometimes The Good Old Days Really Were The Good Old Days
I read a profile of David Boies, the lawyer who represented Al Gore in Bush v. Gore, and I couldn’t help but long for the days when children were allowed to be children and to develop at their own rates. Boies, who grew up in the 1940s, is one of the most famous trial attorneysContinue reading “Sometimes The Good Old Days Really Were The Good Old Days”
Stop Homework 